American audiences may not know the name Adnan Oktar, although they may be familiar with the plentiful writings of Harun Yahya. In fact Adnan Oktar and Harun Yahya are one and the same, Harun Yahya being merely the English pen-name of the famous writer. This is the print version of The Muslim Observerâ€™s February-March 2009 interview with Mr. Adnan Oktar, who graciously agreed to a lengthy interview with us through the medium of an interpreter, Ms. Seda Aral, who translated our questions into Turkish and his responses into English.

Our questions and some of his responses have been abbreviated for easy reading, but the meaning of his responses has of course not been altered.

Enjoy!

Q: Please update us on your court case?

A. ADNAN OKTAR: This case began with a police operation against the Science Research Foundation (BAV) community in 1999. That was an operation initiated due to certain false claims made by the communist deep state organization and directed by it. Indeed, the director of the Organized Crimes branch of the time who conducted the operation against us is currently detained and on trial facing charges of membership of the Ergenekon terror organization. Again, a famous journalist who constantly produced hostile reports about us during the course of that operation and who waged a serious psychological warfare campaign against my colleagues and me is also now in prison, charged with membership of the Ergenekon terror organization, and the legal proceedings against him are still going on. Following trial proceedings lasting 8 years, the court brought in a guilty verdict against me and 3 female colleagues on charges on leading a running criminal enterprise. I have the greatest respect for the courtâ€™s decision and I wish the members of the court the very best. But, on the other hand, nobody believes the allegation that I am the leader of a criminal gang. I must be the only gang leader who has written 300 books and has millions of readers. As a matter of fact, the public prosecutor in the case even said that the allegations were false and there was not a single piece of evidence to support them over those 8 years, and he twice requested that my colleagues and I be acquitted.

Let me briefly summarize the public prosecutorâ€™s legal opinion for you; he says, â€œThere is no evidence against the defendants in that collected by the court.â€ In other words, he says there is no evidence against us.

… [Even the prosecutor in my case] sets out his conclusion in the words: â€œIn the absence of any evidence to show that Adnan Oktar established an enterprise for criminal purposes and that the other defendants committed the crimes of managing the enterprising and engaging in activities on its behalf, it is requested in the public name that the defendants be individually acquitted of all charges, under Article 223/2E of the Criminal Code.â€ The public prosecutor said there was no crime and no evidence of any offense. But the court board decided differently. There is definitely goodness and wisdom in this and it is all for the best, inshaâ€™Allah. If Allah has seen fit to consign me to the School of Yusuf (Madrassa of Yusuf), I am honored by that.

Q: What is your response to the backlash against you from Muslim writers who believe in evolution?

A: Ask these people how the angels and djinn were created. Will they be able to say they came into being through evolution? No, of course they will not. Or ask them if they can account in terms of evolution for how the Prophet Musaâ€™s (as) staff turned into a fully formed snake with digestive, motor and reproductive systems when he threw it down on the ground. When the Prophet Jesus (as) breathed on a bird-shaped object made out of mud, it turned into a living, flying bird. How do they explain that?

The fact is that behind the efforts of some Muslims to reconcile Islam and evolution in their own eyes, lie an element of ignorance and an element of defeatism, a fear of being unable to respond to Darwinism. These people imagine, with the knowledge of the 1900s, that evolution is a scientific theory and that opposing evolution means opposing science. But they are unaware that science refutes evolution. Evolution is a theory unable to explain even how a single protein came into being by chance, a theory at a complete dead-end. Moreover, not one of the 100 million fossils unearthed confirms evolutionistsâ€™ claims. Darwin admits that himself, saying, â€œWhy, if species have descended from other species by insensibly fine gradations, do we not everywhere see innumerable transitional forms? Why is not all nature in confusion instead of the species being, as we see them, well defined? Everything is highly regular and perfectâ€, he says. Because Allah creates them, that is why. â€œBut, as by this theory innumerable transitional forms must have existed, why do we not find them embedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth?â€ he asks. Because evolution never happened, that is why. Does that not finish Darwinism right from the outset? There are 100 million fossils and they all prove Creation. So can one speak of Darwinism under such circumstances? Of course not.

Q: What is your reaction to anti-evolution movie â€œNo Intelligence Allowedâ€ by Ben Stein, showing the ostracism of scientists who reject evolution?

A: It is perfectly obvious that Darwinists have established a global dictatorship. Under official protection in 95% of the countries of the world, the theory of evolution has had its invalidity scientifically proved, and despite being a false theory that violates reason and logic, it is still imposed as an official ideology. In middle and high school and university exams it is obligatory to answer questions about the theory of evolution as if this false theory were true and correct. No academic or scientist who even hints he does not believe in Darwinism is allowed to continue with his work or to enjoy any promotion. And it is arranged that the majority lose their jobs. It is almost the first time in the history of the world that such an ideology is officially protected and imposed in just about every country of the world. This system, which manifests itself as a social dictatorship, has established a hugely repressive regime. They have even tied the Vaticanâ€™s hands with the pressure they made. The Vatican issued a statement about Darwinism just the other day, and the terrible nature of the situation is evident from that. They have made the Vatican incapable of saying, â€œThere is no evolution.â€ European materialists and Darwinists imagine they can resurrect Darwinism by making the Vatican issue statements in favor of it. But the fact is that Darwinism is dead, and no initiative can bring it back to life. It is now time to bury Darwinism for good.

Q: Believers believe in a world that is intrinsically unseen, therefore how can believers argue against unbelievers?

A: Using a genuine, rational and clear style, one based on evidence, has always been a very important and effective method, inshaâ€™Allah. Everyone can explain and understand things to the extent ordained by Allah. When someone is guided to the true path, he is guided so because it is ordained by Allah in his destiny, not because we explained anything to him. Of course the things we say are an instrument, but if Allah does not open someoneâ€™s heart, then he cannot understand what he hears or see what is before his eyes. You can show him thousands of proofs and explain things in countless ways, but he will still not change. Of course, one has a responsibility to strive and tell people the truth, but one can only preach to the extent Allah permits. However, we must not forget that when a Muslim preaches, he is not preaching to the person opposite him, but to an entity Allah creates in his brain, in an area the size of a lentil. That person does exist on the outside, but we can never have direct dealings with that person on the outside. We have direct experience of images established by an electric current of a few amps. This is a very great secret, a great blessing to grasp the depth of faith. This is knowledge that enormously deepens and strengthens a Muslimâ€™s preaching power.

Q: What is the best way for Muslims to study science? Are there books available in English that you would recommend to Muslims studying science in America or Europe?

A: A Muslim intellectual is someone who thinks broadly and freely. In the Qurâ€™an, Allah commands us to reflect deeply, research and investigate. As Allah reveals in the Qurâ€™an, Muslims will also think and enquire and investigate. Someone consumed by a love of Allah will investigate the artistry, knowledge and manifestations of Allah with great excitement, determination and passion. All scientific and cultural progress throughout history has been led by believers. The way that Muslims today are depicted as having no idea about or are kept away from science, knowledge, art or cleanliness is a tactic employed by materialists and Freemasons. Muslims must not fall for that snare, but will raise their levels of knowledge. They will enhance the joy of seeing Allahâ€™s artistry through scientific enquiry. I recommend that my Muslim brothers read the works of Harun Yahya. These have been translated into 67 languages and are all available free of charge on the Internet.

Q: What avenues should Muslim scientists pursue?

A: Someone with a passionate love of Allah will draw enormous pleasure from His artistry and the manifestations of His sublime mind. Anyone enquiring or reading with that love and fervor will obtain most excellent results and this will be instrumental in great advancement. In the same way that religion encourages scientific research, so scientific enquiry conducted in the light of the truths revealed by the faith will produce very rapid and definite results. Because the faith is the only source able to provide an accurate and certain account of how life and the universe came into being. Science can only produce accurate findings so long as research in conducted along the lines of investigating Allahâ€™s omnipotence and the proofs of creation in the universe. Only if the right course is taken, if it is accurately directed in other words, can science achieve its true objective in the shortest possible time.

By Allahâ€™s leave, we will all see in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as) the enormous advances in science that fervor and joy of faith will be instrumental in bringing about. The spiritual strength Hazrat Mahdi (as) is instrumental in bringing about will lead to the greatest scientific and technological developments in the history of the world, and will be more delightful, beneficial and effective than people have ever dreamed.

Q: You have argued these are the Last Days–what advice do you have for Muslims in this time?

A: What our Prophet (s) tells us is the truth. He acts in compliance with Allahâ€™s revelation. He described the portents of the End Times through Allahâ€™s revelation, and they all have come to be truth. These portents can all be found in the Kutub-u Sitte (the Six Books). In addition, the Qurâ€™an makes it very clear that the moral values of Islam will rule the world. This is crystal clear in verse 55 of Surat an-Nur. There are various other verses of the Qurâ€™an regarding the domination of the moral values of Islam over the world, and they can all be seen on my www.awaitedmahdi.com website. The subjects of Hazrat Mahdi (as), the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and the End Times are matters on which all four schools are in agreement; the Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliqi and Shaâ€™afi schools are unanimous on the subject. The appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the return of the Prophet Jesus (as) are absolutely certain. That is also the case in Shiism. Indeed, the Shiite and Sunni schools make up 95% of the Islamic world. Nobody has ever maintained anything different. The hadith I have set out in my works and writings are hadith that have been verified and found completely trustworthy. Had they not been verified, there might have been doubts as to their reliability, but they have been confirmed. Our Prophet (saas) says that the portents of the End Times will happen one after the other, like the beads on a necklace. When one ends the next will start, he says. He says wondrous things will happen one after the other. Note how wondrous things are now happening in the world, the portents of the End Times have all taken place within 20-30 years. The eclipses of the Sun and Moon during Ramadan, for example, is something highly detailed. It happened in 1400 by the Hegira calendar. The Prophet (saas) says the waters of the Euphrates will be severed. And the Euphrates was cut off by a dam and the flow of its waters stopped. The newspapers carried reports saying the Euphrates had been severed, and the truth of our Prophetâ€™s (saas) hadith thus emerged. Our Prophet (saas) says there will be carnage in the same region. The massacres by the PKK are clearly set out. The Prophet (saas) said that blood will be shed in the Qaaba at the beginning of the century in which Hazrat Mahdi (as) appears. He says the Qaaba will be occupied. And that all happened.

…

A great economic crisis is described in detail, and that has also happened. There are hundreds of other portents, and people can read these on my web sites. It appears from all these portents that Hazrat Mahdi (as) has begun work and that the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) is close at hand, inshaâ€™Allah. That is why I always say that Muslims will seek Hazrat Mahdi (as) and pray for the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as). â€œWe sought but could not findâ€; this is out of question. A Muslim must pray for them. And then Allah will create them, bring them into being. I keep on saying that. Because the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is certain. The coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) is certain. The global dominion of Islamic moral values is certain. I do not concentrate on an event unless there is something wondrous about it. I am someone who looks at everything rationally. I evaluate things in the light of the evidence, I sign up to rational and correct ideas and follow the truth 100%. I go along with what is 100% true. The portents of these happy days have come about, and Muslims have a duty to experience that joy. They will see the abundant blessings of this age and experience all its beauty, inshaâ€™Allah.

Q: Who else is doing such work to build the ummah, like you and Ahmad Deedat before you?

A: Fear constitutes a grave form of corruption for Muslims in the End Times. They hesitate, saying, â€œBut what if I am imprisoned, or beaten, or sworn at, or slandered or killed?â€ But whatever happens, they will earn merit accordingly. Is our aim not to earn Allahâ€™s approval? Most Islamic countries have been unnecessarily afraid and experienced terrible suffering. Had they been courageous and rational, Allah would not have inflicted that suffering on them. Strength belongs to Allah. Nothing apart from Allah has any strength. Allah bestows fear and troubles. Allah bestows afflictions on cowards. Allah protects the brave. Muslims have a duty to be brave. For example, when it comes to the establishment of the Turkish-Islamic Union, some Muslims say nothing out of a fear of â€œWhat will they say?â€ The fact is, however, that it is a sin for Muslims not to be united and act together. Sin is a spiritual burden. In other words, it is obligatory in the eyes of the Qurâ€™an for Muslims to act as one, as brothers. The door is open to all kinds of scourges so long as they do not do this, so long as they are not united. But some Muslims carefully avoid this, out of such fears as â€œSuch-and-such will react like this, so-and-so will not want it, what will they say?â€ or are even unable to raise the subject at all. But no matter what they say, we will obey Allahâ€™s command, we will be united.

Muslims fear only one thing; they fear Allah. Anything apart from Allah should not be feared. If Allah wishes He can make the world a very different place and easily have the Turkish-Islamic Union accepted. And we will then want it and strive with all our might and cry out â€œThe Turkish-Islamic Union must be established.â€ Once the Turkish-Islamic Union has been founded, no harm will come to even a single hair on Muslimsâ€™ heads. And then letâ€™s see whether they can line up the bodies of dead Muslims, children and all, and take photographs of them. Will they then have the courage to crush the Muslim world underfoot like ants? The bloodshed will stop instantaneously, all the oppression will immediately come to an end, inshaâ€™Allah. And why should the world not want a Turkish-Islamic Union? The union we espouse is a union of love and friendship, that will protect and embrace all with affection and compassion. Why should anyone not want that? I cannot conceive of any society, any government not wanting a union that will resuscitate the global economy, bring about an end to terror and bring prosperity to all.

For that reason, I always tell my brothers to concentrate on union at every available opportunity, in their writings, or talks or conversations. They must constantly demand that their governments establish the Turkish-Islamic Union; inshaâ€™Allah, those demands will be of the nature of a prayer to Allah. When I talk about a Turkish-Islamic Union under Turkish leadership this is not something resulting from any pretension to racial superiority. The Turkish nation is willing to bear troubles and difficulties. Assuming the role of elder brother is a hard job requiring sacrifices. But both historic circumstances and also social conditions make Turkish leadership essential. As the descendants of a nation who gave order to the world for 700 years in the time of the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish nation will again be willing to act as elder brother to and be the protector and servant of its Muslim and Turkic brothers, inshaâ€™Allah.

Q: Do you believe the hijab ban will be stopped in Turkey?

A: Some people in Turkey have an unfounded fear, and that must first be put right. The fact is that democracy and secularism lie at the heart of Islam. Islam allows people the right to believe and express their ideas as they wish. It is a rule in Islam that there must be no pressure in religious matters. Freedom of thought is a requirement of Islam. It has taught mankind democracy and secularism with the reason and conscience brought about by religious moral values. People must be told that. They must be told that their fears are groundless, that everyone, no matter what they may believe, is a first-class citizen. But the stipulation about the hijab in the Qurâ€™an is perfectly clear. It is also set out in the hadith. There is nothing to argue about. These young people are very devout, our young girls want to turn up wearing the hijab. So what? Nice, polite ladies turn up. Of course there may be a diverse range of opinions. Everyone can think in different ways. Just so long as all our citizens are given the right to live as they wish and are given guarantees of freedom and democracy. Let young girls wear the hijab if they want. A laic regime, the republic, is embedded in Turkey. I regard it as totally inappropriate to make such a fuss within such a system about a handful of young girls wearing the hijab.

Q: What advice do you give to people who feel lazy, unable to help good people to do good work like you?

A: I am madly in love with Allah. Allah must be loved with a mad intensity. That Allah we love with such joy with love must enter our minds the moment we get up in the morning. We must start the day with the joy and delight of Him, with a joyous, festive air. Because we are under the control of an infinite mind, an infinite power and infinite compassion. This is an extraordinarily delightful thing, and we constantly see His blessings everywhere. Our lovely Allah has prepared His eternal paradise for us. Of course the joy of that pervades our hearts and we must not forget it for a moment. We must spend every moment of our lives, from morning to evening, in the festive joy and fervor of Him, and must even experience the joy of Allah in our dreams. He will even influence our dreams if we experience that great joy. So no sloth or idleness can ever be possible, inshaâ€™Allah.